Energy Efficient Equipment Research Articles

NUMERICAL MODELLING OF OSCILLATING FLOW FOR ENERGY HARVESTING

The energy efficiency of systems, equipment, and sensors is nowadays intensively studied. The new generation of microelectronic sensors is very sophisticated and the energy consumption is in the microwatts range. The energy to power the microelectronic devices can be harvested from oscillating flow in small size channels and so replaceable batteries could be eliminated. Piezoelectric elements can convert energy from oscillation to electrical energy. This paper focuses on the simulation of periodic flow in the fluidic oscillator. CFD simulations were performed for several values of the flow rate. Experimental measurement was carried out under the same conditions as the CFD experiment. The main monitored and evaluated parameters were volume flow rate and pressure loss. Fluid oscillations were analysed based on CFD simulations and the theoretical maximum energy available for the deformation of piezoelectric elements and transformable into electrical energy was evaluated.

Experimental studies of energy efficiency of heat pump equipment for hot water supply and air conditioning systems in apartment buildings

Experimental studies of this article are aimed at solving the problem of reforming the housing and communal services of Russia through rational integration of non-traditional energy sources and secondary energy resources into the energy balance of buildings and structures. An important component of the work was the creation and development of industrial production of reliable competitive heat pump systems of a new generation, cogenerating heat energy and cold in an autonomous mode and providing energy savings of at least 50% due to the combined use of low-potential thermal energy of the soil, the atmospheric air and the exhaust air of ventilation systems for hot water supply and air conditioning systems of apartment buildings.

Формування енергоефективних систем забезпечення абіотичних факторів в адаптивних технологіях культивування маточних ентомокультур

Abstract. Energy-efficient systems that will enable the implementation of abiotic conditions - important components of adaptive technologies, such as air temperature, relative humidity, air mobility, lighting levels, etc., must meet the requirements of environmental friendliness and minimize economic and energy costs. This requires the use of modern energy efficient technologies, equipment and devices. The purpose of the research is the development of a system for providing abiotic factors in the implementation of adaptive technologies for crops of guaranteed quality, characterized by resource savings and environmental safety. Methods. Analysis of the introduction of technologies and equipment in the process of cultivation of uterine entomocultures, which will increase the efficiency of technological processes of entomoproduction production. Results. The key abiotic factors in adaptive technologies of cultivation of uterine cultures are determined. Technologies, equipment and devices for their provision are studied and the initial requirements to the energy efficient systems consisting of them are formed. Conclusions. The analysis showed the advantages of using film contact devices and ultrasonic ones for energy treatment in adaptive technologies of cultivation of uterine entomocultures in terms of energy efficiency by almost 20% and efficiency by 15%. To ensure the required type and level of lighting, it is recommended to use incandescent lamps and LED lamps. Nozzles with nozzles and perforated panels are defined as distributive elements for air supply, which will almost double the efficiency of using the potential of the air prepared by the microclimate system.

A Case Study of an Office Building to Identify Energy Consumption and Carbon Management Solutions Using Physical Data and Simulation Software

To measure the level of energy performance of a building, there are several categories of energy consumption to be calculated such as oil, natural gas and electricity. In order to significantly minimise the Greenhouse gas emission in an office, it is important to tap into the positive progress of energy efficiency of equipment which contributes to total energy performance of a building. Consequently, to enable accurate building energy consumption of a building, energy modelling method is applied to identify total consumption and cost of energy usage with effects of carbon emission. Hence, this will help to reduce the costing of energy inside building with differences of efficiency options. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse an office building in terms of the level of energy consumption and carbon emission as a case study. The first objective is to identify the amount of energy consumption and carbon emission inside the building using the simulation software. Secondly, to identify the differences between the data recorded through simulation software and physical data. Finally, to identify solutions to decrease the carbon emission by applying measures towards reducing energy consumption inside the building.

Energy-efficient equipment for disintegration of extremely strong materials

This research aims to reduce the power input of strong material disintegration and to improve the final product quality. The energy-efficient method of disintegration is proposed for extremely strong materials and industrial waste using vibropercussion crushers composed of two mobile crushing bodies free from stiff kinematic links and operating in strictly synchronous phase opposition. The crushers implement the phenomenon of self-synchronization of drive unbalance-mass vibration generators, which greatly simplifies the design and lowers the dynamic loads imposed on the machine components. The influence exerted by the material under treatment on the dynamics of vibropercussion crushers is studied. In particular, the procedure is developed for the while-in-operation calculation of the viscous resistance coefficient and, as a consequence, average vibration amplitudes of effectors of the machine with regard to the loading. The common method of taking the influence of the process material on the vibration machine dynamics in the form of a linear viscous damper is inapplicable in case of vibropercussion systems and needs amendment. The conditions of steady-state synchronous co-phase rotation of vibration generators are determined. Alternatively, performance of the crushers drops down to total failure of crushing. The recommendations on selecting science-based geometrical and inertia parameters for the vibropercussion crushers are given. The recommendations should be taken into account in the machine design and engineering to ensure efficient and reliable steady-state operation. The study is implemented using the approach of vibration engineering and theory of synchronization of mechanical vibration generators. The theoretical results are compared with the experimental data.

HEAT FLOWS INTEGRATION OF DISTILLATION AND EPURATION COLUMNS INTO THE PRODUCTION PROCESS OF RECTIFIED ETHYL ALCOHOL

Today, ethyl alcohol is widely used in many industries. Ethanol production processes from any organic matter often involve rectification, which is an energy-intensive process. The constant increase in the cost of energy leads to a significant growth of the cost of production. Reducing the unit energy consumption can solve a range of important issues: first, that of decreasing production cost, and secondly, that of nationwide dependence on external energy suppliers. A detailed analysis of the thermal energy potential of technological flows aimed at solving the problem of reducing energy consumption inspires the development of more energy-efficient solutions for organizing this processes.
 The search for alternative solutions demonstrates that one of the methods of reducing the unit energy consumption for ethanol production, in particular one that does not require a total restructuring of the production lines, is the method of integration of processes based on pinch analysis.
 The extraction of these technological flows was carried out on the basis of the regulatory documentation of the hardware-technological scheme of the centralized ethyl alcohol head fraction distillation plant and the energy audit report of that plant, which was carried out at one of the alcohol enterprises of Ukraine.
 A distillation and a purification column were selected from the centralized ethyl alcohol distillation plant for thermal integration of the existing process. The thermal and material balances of the ethyl alcohol head fraction distillation plant columns were calculated.
 To maximize the energy potential of the heat flows, the principles of pinch design were applied and a grid diagram of heat exchanger networks was designed.
 To maximize the recovery of thermal energy, the difference ΔTmin was set to - 3ºC. This led to the need to use energy-efficient heat exchange equipment. A significant reduction in the use of external utilities (by 48% for cold utilitie and by 38% for hot utilitie) for selected heat flows and a short payback period for the project (approximately three months) makes this solution viable.

Optimization variables of the injection of hot-steam into the non-equilibrium condensing flow using TOPSIS method

Nowadays, one of the concerns of the searchers is the increasing performance of industrial equipment. The phenomenon of spontaneous non-equilibrium condensation and the presence of droplets have caused efficiency and economic losses for industrialists. The hot steam injection causes reduction of the averaged radius droplets, liquid mass fraction, and erosion. In this study, an optimization analysis of the hot steam injection variables (location, angle, and width slots of injection) according to LKLEE criterion (Liquid mass fraction, Kinetic energy, Losses, Entropy, and Efficiency) has been performed by TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). Results show injecting at the Optimal mode has the highest kinetic energy and efficiency and less entropy. Also, Optimal mode is resulted a 1.05% increase of the Mach number than Original mode. Therefore, injection of hot steam at Optimal mode is caused a 9%, 60%, and 7.1% reduction in the droplet radius, losses, and liquid mass fraction compare to the Original mode, respectively. Overall, this optimal injection leads to the increased energy efficiency of industrial equipment at the output.

Analysis of the energy efficiency of the Campo Mourão-PR municipal library: parameters of the national labeling program (RTQ-C)

The construction sector, responsible for environmental impacts such as waste generation, water and energy consumption, has as its current challenge to bring energy efficiency into the construction site and post-built environment. Thus, in relation to energy consumption, INMETRO developed a labeling program aimed at classifying the energy efficiency of electrical equipment and also buildings. It turns out that public buildings are required to obtain the National Energy Conservation Label (ENCE). Given the above, it is asked how to measure the energy efficiency of public buildings, making them energy-appropriate, and thus meet the needs of the user, providing environmental comfort and economy. The objective of this work was to simulate obtaining the ENCE Geral label and present the level of energy efficiency of the Municipal Library of Campo Mourão-PR. The Prescriptive Method was used, established by the Technical Quality Regulation for the Energy Efficiency Level of Commercial, Service and Public Buildings (RTQ-C). Three building systems were analyzed: Wrapping, Lighting System and Air Conditioning System. As a result, the building under study presented a level C classification of efficiency, on a scale of A - E, being A very efficient, and E inefficient. It is concluded that the building does not provide comfort to users, besides high energy consumption. However, it is possible to adopt measures that can help optimize the level of energy efficiency on site.

Application of Data Mining in Traditional Benchmark Evaluation Model for Buildings Energy Consumption

Since the beginning of data mining technologies, buildings have become not just energy-intensive but also information-centric. Data mining technologies have been widely used to utilize the huge quantities of buildings’ operational data to improve their energy systems. Conventional benchmarking of buildings’ energy performance reflects a variety of parameters, such as the number of inhabitants, the environment, the energy efficiency of equipment utilized, and the adjustment of internal temperature. These various elements are then assigned weights to generate a single general indicator. This study presents a reasonable benchmark assessment methodology of conventional buildings’ energy usage based on a data-mining algorithm for acquiring more specific information, like the energy management efficacy of a building, and aiming at the problem of ineffective use of large amounts of energy consumption in public buildings. A mathematical-statistical approach and a data-mining tool are used to analyse the data. The degree of connection between numerous influencing variables (i.e., characteristic parameters) and building’s energy usage is determined using grey correlation analysis. In this work, we have used an enhanced Apriori algorithm to identify the link between the different forms of systems in the same area. In short, the fundamental idea and process of the Apriori algorithm are presented, and preliminary designs of the preprocessing of experimental data as well as the analysis methods are studied to analyse the outcome of the proposed work.

ПРІОРИТЕТИ ВІДНОВЛЕННЯ МІСТООБСЛУГОВУЮЧИХ ПІДГАЛУЗЕЙ СФЕРИ ЖИТТЄДІЯЛЬНОСТІ НА ДОНБАСІ: СОЦІО-ЕКОЛОГО-ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ АСПЕКТ

The article analyzes the state of the main city service subsectors of the sphere of life — heat-, water supply and sewerage systems of the cities affected by the armed conflict in Donbas. Also, the most acute problems of heat-, water supply and sewerage systems of the cities in Donbas which suffer from their ecological condition, quality of public utilities and economic conditions of the relevant municipal enterprises, and therefore need to be addressed restoration are systematized and generalized. Particular attention is paid to assessing the consequences of environmental threats associated with the operation of urban service subsectors in the cities of Donbas, affected by the conflict, as well as analysis of the financial, economic and technical condition of the largest enterprises of water supply and sewerage and heat utilities in post-conflict areas, the dynamics of annual deterioration of the main relevant indicators are estimated. This allows to substantiate the priorities of restoration and ensuring the reliable functioning of urban service subsectors in Donbas, including consideration of the possibility of giving priority to financing projects related to the diversification of urban water supply sources, renewal of production infrastructure, reconstruction of heating facilities with the installation of modern energy-efficient equipment, etc., expanding sources of funding for relevant measures, simplifying the conditions for receiving state aid by urban enterprises in Donetsk and Luhansk regions affected by the armed conflict, through the introduction of state programs to support and develop this functional type of territory. The developed proposals for taking priority measures aimed at restoring and ensuring the reliable operation of heat-, water supply and sewerage systems of cities in the post-conflict areas of Donbas will allow each of the stakeholders (public authorities and local governments, municipal enterprises of relevant urban sub-sectors) social (improving public utilities for all categories of consumers in the region), environmental (ensuring environmental safety and improving the environmental condition of both Donbas cities affected by the conflict and neighbouring cities and regions) and economic effects (increasing efficiency by reducing costs and losses of energy and resources in the production and transportation of relevant services and, therefore, growth of investment attractiveness of both city-serving subsectors and the sphere of life in general).

Дослідження ефективності впровадження частотно-регульованого приводу на складах вуглеводнів

The most important factor in improving the energy efficiency of enterprises and organizations of the State Reserve is the rational use of fuel and energy resources. Oil depots are not the most energy-intensive in the State Reserve system, but reducing electricity consumption is an important factor in reducing the cost of their products. During the past 10-15 years, the world has seen the widespread and successful introduction of frequency-controlled electric drive to solve various technological problems in many sectors of the economy. Installation of frequency converters on the pumping equipment of oil depots gives the chance of smooth regulation of modes of their work. At the same time loading of electric motors of pumps will be optimum, and losses of the electric power are minimum. At oil depots, the main consumer of electricity is pumping equipment. The technological process of operation of these enterprises involves reverse pumping of fuels and lubricants between tanks and rail and tank trucks. The peculiarity of oil depots is the uneven loading of equipment due to different needs in the number of pumped oil products over time, so the loading of the pumping station will also be uneven due to different pressure and supply in the pipelines. To maintain the set mode of operation of the pumping station when changing external factors affecting its operation, it is necessary to monitor and regulate the modes of operation of pumping units. This function can be divided into two areas: regulation of hydraulic modes of operation of pumps, which is used at oil depots, and regulation of energy efficiency of pumping station equipment. The calculation of technical and economic indicators of the introduction of frequency-controlled electric drive is performed on the example of state enterprise "Aystra" Chernihiv. The main purpose of the plant is the reception, storage and shipment of petroleum products of the state material reserve. Production capacity for heavy-duty rail tanks and vehicles allows for freight operations with a capacity of 350 tons per hour.

Is information a good policy instrument to influence the energy behaviour of households?

Despite several financial aids intended to promote the energy transition, the French people continue to buy energy-intensive products and are not interested in improving the energy performance of their homes. We propose a new measure which consists of provision of information to change individual behaviour. Currently, health and the environment are the prime concerns and we propose to encourage individuals to reduce their energy consumption by informing them of the environmental and health consequences linked to energy consumption. To test the validity of our proposal, we use the willingness to pay for more energy efficient equipment and thermal insulation. We conducted an online survey which included messages on the link between environment-energy and health-energy. We showed that it affected households’ energy behaviour. We compared this strategy with policies already in place. We found that policies that combined provision of information with a subsidy, increase sales of goods that reduce energy consumption and was the best option from a social welfare perspective.

Demand Side Management Applied to a Sub Station for Energy Conservation

Electrical energy is an essential ingredient for the industrial and all-round development of any country. The per capita consumption of electrical energy is a reliable indicator of a country's state of development. It has been estimated that there are two billion people who still lack electricity today and the world demand in developing countries is doubling every eight years. To meet this ever-growing demand, generating plants of all types are being installed. Unfortunately, the sources of electrical energy are depleting and hence the gap between the supply and the demand is continuously increasing. Under such circumstances the only option left is optimal utilization of available resources. Initially in this direction Load Management and Energy Conservation methods were adopted to overcome the problems. But these two methods concentrate only on the problems faced by supplier alone and do not take into account the problems of consumer. To overcome this problem in 1980's, a concept of DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT has emerged and is being applied throughout the world. The concept of DSM has vital role in power system planning and management. The main idea of DSM technique is to discuss the mutual benefits for both supplier and consumer for minimum inconvenience. DSM is broader in scope than either Load Management or Energy Conversation. The need for Power System Planning and Management has increased enormously today. Resources crunch have made availability of power meagre to meet the demand. Power shortage is not only endemic in India but also in the world. as demand always lags with respect to supply a time factor also plays a role in bridging the gap between demand and supply. To bridge this gap the random load shedding is the usual method adopted by the supplier of electrical energy, which discourages the consumer's interest. To overcome this problem recently the concept of Demand Side Management technique has emerged and is being applied throughout the world. This paper deals with the DSM technique of Resized and Revised operation Schedule taking into consideration the load curve of a transformer. The increase in the energy efficiency of equipment is quantified in terms of Transformer Utilization Factor. A considerable increase in the energy efficiency and reduction in core losses has been observed. The work presented in this project gives the results of application of DSM technique to 33/11 KV substation in Palvancha. It has two incoming transmission lines and one 33KV outgoing transmission line and four 11KV outgoing feeders (Burgampadu, Velur, Nanprolu, Sompally). The study indicates the improvement in the energy efficiency of the system. In addition, the consumer also gets a small savings of reduction in the energy bill due to lowering of core losses/ iron losses.

Evaluation of the Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency of CRAC Equipment through Mathematical Modeling Using a New Index COP WEUED

As the world data traffic increasingly grows, the need for computer room air conditioning (CRAC)-type equipment grows proportionally. The air conditioning equipment is responsible for approximately 38% of the energy consumption of data centers. The energy efficiency of these pieces of equipment is compared according to the Energy Standard ASHRAE 90.1-2019, using the index Net Sensible Coefficient Of Performance (NetSCOP). This method benefits fixed-speed compressor equipment with a constant inlet temperature air-cooled condenser (35 °C). A new method, COP WEUED (COP–world energy usage effectiveness design), is proposed based on the IPLV (integrated part load value) methodology. The IPLV is an index focused on partial thermal loads and outdoor temperature data variation for air intake in the condenser. It is based on the average temperatures of the USA’s 29 major cities. The new method is based on the 29 largest cities worldwide and with data-center-specific indoor temperature conditions. For the same inverter compressor, efficiencies of 4.03 and 4.92 kW/kW were obtained, using ASHRAE 90.1-2019 and the proposed method, respectively. This difference of almost 20% between methods is justified because, during less than 5% of the annual hours, the inlet air temperature in the condenser is close to the NetSCOP indication.

Energy-Investment Decision-Making for Industry: Quantitative and Qualitative Risks Integrated Analysis

Industrial SMEs may take the decision to invest in energy efficient equipment to reduce energy costs by replacing or upgrading their obsolete equipment or due to external socio-political and legislative pressures. When upgrading their energy equipment, it may be beneficial to consider the adoption of new energy strategies rising from the ongoing energy transition to support green transformation and decarbonisation. To face this energy-investment decision-making problem, a set of different economic and environmental criteria have to be evaluated together with their associated risks. Although energy-investment problems have been treated in the literature, the incorporation of both quantitative and qualitative risks for decision-making in SMEs has not been studied yet. In this paper, this research gap is addressed, creating a framework that considers non-risk criteria and quantitative and qualitative risks into energy-investment decision-making problems. Both types of risks are evaluated according to their probability and impact on the company’s objectives and, additionally for qualitative risks, a fuzzy inference system is employed to account for judgmental subjectivity. All the criteria are incorporated into a single cost–benefit analysis function, which is optimised along the energy assets’ lifetime to reach the best long-term energy investment decisions. The proposed methodology is applied to a specific industrial SME as a case study, showing the benefits of considering these risks in the decision-making problem. Nonetheless, the methodology is expandable with minor changes to other entities facing the challenge to invest in energy equipment or, as well, other tangible assets.

A framework of energy-consumption driven discrete manufacturing system

Because of big data on energy consumption, there is a lack of research on the discrete manufacturing system. The discrete manufacturing system has plenty of multi-source and heterogeneous data; it was challenging to collect real-time data. Recently, low carbon and green manufacturing is a hot field; especially, it can save electrical energy. This paper proposes a significant energy consumption data of a data-driven analysis framework, which promoting the energy efficiency of discrete manufacturing plant, equipment, and workshop production process. Firstly, put forward the evaluation standards of energy efficiency for discrete manufacturing shops. Then make energy-consumption data preprocessing. Efficiency optimization of big data mining method is put forward based on grid computing function. Design the discrete manufacturing system energy-consumption parameter values, then summarizes prediction algorithms and models in order to predict the results and the trends. Finally, introduce the application of a mobile phone shell manufacturing shop to verify the proposed framework. Further research will focus on energy-consumption data mining processing.

The environmental impacts of face-to-face and remote university classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The face-to-face university classes were abruptly transferred to virtual environments during the pandemic of COVID-19, which generated changes in teaching routine and environmental impacts associated with them. Considering this reality, studies comparing the environmental impacts of face-to-face and remote classes can be of great value. In this sense, this study performed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of face-to-face and remote university classes in a Higher Education institution in the context of COVID-19. Inputs of energy and materials (food, office materials), outputs (air and water emissions, and solid waste) were gathered in situ for the functional unit of 2 hours of face-to-face or virtual class per week for 60 engineering students. Thirteen midpoint impact categories were selected by using the recent Impact World+ midpoint method for Continental Latin America, version 1.251. In the literature, most papers about the environmental management of educational activities focus on the energy efficiency of buildings and electronic equipment during their use. But this study revealed other environmental hotspots primarily associated with meal consumption followed by ethanol fuel use. Meal consumption patterns can be explained by the fact that people usually eat more often during home-office activities. Otherwise, the transportation impacts due to ethanol use are related mainly to face-to-face classes, as much transport is required such as for food supply and student transportation. Finally, an uncertainty and a sensitivity analysis were designed for the LCA conclusions. We concluded that remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic tend to minimize the overall evaluated impacts to ten of the thirteen impact categories. An optimal scenario was also proposed showing an overall minimization of the impacts by up to 57%, if a hybrid class model were to be adopted.

A Gate-to-Gate Life Cycle Assessment for the CO2-EOR Operations at Farnsworth Unit (FWU)

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the Farnsworth Unit’s (FWU) carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) operations were accounted for through a gate-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) for a period of about 10 years, since start of injection to 2020, and predictions of 18 additional years of the CO2-EOR operation were made. The CO2 source for the FWU project has been 100% anthropogenically derived from the exhaust of an ethanol plant and a fertilizer plant. A cumulative amount of 5.25 × 106 tonnes of oil has been recovered through the injection of 1.64 × 106 tonnes of purchased CO2, of which 92% was stored during the 10-year period. An LCA analysis conducted on the various unit emissions of the FWU process yielded a net negative (positive storage) of 1.31 × 106 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, representing 79% of purchased CO2. An optimized 18-year forecasted analysis estimated 86% storage of the forecasted 3.21 × 106 tonnes of purchased CO2 with an equivalent 2.90 × 106 tonnes of crude oil produced by 2038. Major contributors to emissions were flaring/venting and energy usage for equipment. Improvements on the energy efficiency of equipment would reduce emissions further but this could be challenging. Improvement of injection capacity and elimination of venting/flaring or fugitive gas are methods more likely to be utilized for reducing net emissions and are the cases used for the optimized scenario in this work. This LCA illustrated the potential for the CO2-EOR operations in the FWU to store more CO2 with minimal emissions.

Exploring the impact of temperature change on residential electricity consumption in China: The ‘crowding-out’ effect of income growth

Under the background of global warming, the world is experiencing many extreme climate events. The temperature fluctuation associated with climate change is often considered as a primary driving force of electricity consumption. To better explore the impact of temperature on electricity consumption, this paper aims to analyze the question from the perspective of income growth, i.e., the moderating effect of income growth on the response of urban residential electricity to temperature changes. Using the unbalanced panel data of 23 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration from 2004 to 2015, we construct the response model of residential electricity consumption to income growth, heating degree days, cooling degree days and their interactions. The results show that heating demand, cooling demand and income growth significantly increase residential energy consumption. However, urban residential disposable income growth weakens the positive effect of heating demand and cooling demand on residential electricity consumption. Because, urban residents have obvious demand for improving indoor heating comfort and cooling comfort, the moderating effect of income is shown as the crowding-out effect. Residents may adjust the structure of heating energy consumption (from electricity to natural gas) and upgrade their electrical equipment to high energy efficiency equipment, thereby reducing residential electricity consumption. This study also indicates that urban residential energy consumption is very sensitive to changes in permanent populations. The main contribution of this study is proposing the hypothesis of the negative moderating effect of income growth on temperature changes and expanding the response model of residential electricity consumption to temperature changes. Finally, this paper also proposes the adaptive strategies and policy implications for climate change.

Assessment of a Value at Risk in Heavy Construction Equipment Energy Efficiency Projects

Assessment of a Value at Risk in Heavy Construction Equipment Energy Efficiency Projects